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Principles of Behavior Change

Wesley Schultz, Ph.D. California State University

Routes to Persuasion   Central route to persuasion

  analytic, high effort, cogent arguments   Can produce durable, long-term changes in

behavior and agreement   Peripheral route to persuasion

  intuitive, low effort, use heuristics   Can produce bigger changes in behavior,

but not agreement

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Routes to Persuasion

Persuasive Appeal

Central Route

Peripheral Route

Audience Processing Persuasion

Behavior Change

Analytical and motivated

Not analytical or involved

High effort, elaborate, counterargue

Low effort, use peripheral cues

Cogent arguments invoke enduring agreement

Cues trigger liking and acceptance (temporary

Peripheral Persuasion •  Persuasion that happens quickly, often without the

person recognizing that they have been affected •  Langer’s copier study

“excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the copier?” -- 60%

“… because I’m in a rush” -- 94% “… because I need to make some copies” ___ %

•  Persuasion is the process of making peripheral cues work for a purpose

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EPA Bumper Sticker

Elements of a Persuasive Appeal

  Audience   Topic is personally-relevant or value-based   Attentive, distracted, motivated

  Medium   Television and radio move quickly (peripheral)   Print and internet more self-paced (central)

  Source   Credible, likeable, humorous, attractive

  Message   Short versus long, humor, attention grabbing

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Behavior Change Tools 1. Reciprocity 2. Commitment and consistency 3. Social norms 4. Liking 5. Scarcity 6. Expertise 7. Prompts and signage 8. Persuasive communication

Principles of Persuasion 1. Reciprocation   The old give and take   We feel obligated to return favors   The rule: We should try to repay what

another person has provided us   This rule is found in all cultures!   Examples

  Free food   Mailings   Give-aways

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Principles of Persuasion 2. Commitment and Consistency   We feel the need for our attitudes and

behaviors to be consistent   Foot-in-the-door

  Freedman and Fraiser (1966)   17% versus 76%

  Even a penny will help   32% ($20.74) versus 58% ($31.30)

Principles of Persuasion 2. Commitment and Consistency

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Principles of Persuasion 3. Social norms   The tendency to see an action as more

appropriate when others are doing it   Normative beliefs and behavior   Canned laughter -- it works!   TV commercials

  fastest growing   best-selling

Principles of Persuasion 4. Liking   We are more likely to comply with a request

from someone we like (or know)   Examples

  Tupperware parties   AMWAY   Pampered chef

  Block leaders

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Principles of Persuasion 5. Scarcity   Psychological reactance

  whenever our free choice is limited or threatened, the need to retain control leads us to reassert ourselves

  we want what we can’t have   Economic models

  limited supply and high demand=increased value   Examples

  limited supply, numbers, or time

Principles of Persuasion 6. Authority and expertise   We are more likely to comply with the request

of a perceived expert   Dentists, doctors, athletes, professors   Scientists

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7. Prompts and Signage   Noticeable   Self-explanatory   Proximal to the behavior   Positive in wording   Simple behaviors   CAUTION: Context matters

  Research example of Neighborhood Watch   Research example of littering

8. Persuasive Communication   Target a specific barrier (structural or

psychological)   Identify target audience   Medium for reaching the audience   Message content   Duration of the intervention

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REACH

LOW HIGH

LOW

HIGH One-on-One Personal

Contact

Personalized media (feedback)

Information / Awareness by mass media (TV, radio, billboard)

Impersonal direct contact (direct mail, B

ehav

ior C

hang

e Group Discussion

Media Messages   Brochures   Newspaper   Billing inserts   Billboards   Radio   Television   Give-aways (premiums)   Personal communication

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Duration   One-shot messages

  Generally ineffective with passive media   Some exceptions for particularly emotional messages

(e.g., Iron Eyes Cody, political ads, humor)   Messages delivered in person

  Branding and tag lines   Repeated exposure to a message increases liking   Increases recall, credibility, overall impact   Tag line: 3-5 words that can be incorporated across

media messages   Multiple media, multiple messages, consistent theme

and tag

References Cialdini, R. B. (2000). Influence: Science and practice (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Cialdini, R. B., & Trost, M. R. (1998). Social influence: Social norms, conformity, and compliance. In D. T.

Gilbert, S. T. Fiske, & G. Lindzey (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (4th ed., Vol. 2, pp. 151-192). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Oskamp, S., & Schultz, P. W. (2005). Attitudes and opinions (3rd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. Oskamp, S., & Schultz, P. W. (2006). Using psychological science to achieve ecological sustainability. In S.

Donaldson, D. Berger, & K. Pezdek (Eds.), Applied psychology: New frontiers and rewarding careers. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbauum.

Petty, R. E., & Wegener, D. T. (1998). Attitude change: Multiple roles for persuasion variables. In D. T. Gilbert, S. T. Fiske, & G. Lindzey (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (4th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 323-390). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Petty, R. E., & Wegener, D. T. (1999). The elaboration likelihood model: Current status and controversies. In S. Chaiken & Y. Trope (Eds.), Dual-process theories in social psychology (pp. 37-72). New York: Guilford.

Petty, R. E., Rucker, D., Bizer, G., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2004). The elaboration likelihood model. In J. S. Seiter & G. H. Gass (Eds.), Perspectives on persuasion, influence, and compliance gaining. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Schmuck, P., & Schultz, P. W. (Ed). (2002). The psychology of sustainable development. Norwell, MA: Kluwer. Schultz, P. W. (2002). Knowledge, education, and household recycling: Examining the knowledge-deficit model

of behavior change. In T. Dietz & P. Stern (Eds.), Education, information, and voluntary measures in environmental protection (pp. 67-82). National Academy of Sciences.

Schultz, P. W., & Oskamp, S. (2000). Social psychology: An applied perspective. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.